We are now one week from our Maryland Automobile Dealers Association Foundation gala.  The event will feature a night of dancing, fine dinner, good times, and honoring those who made our industry the powerhouse that it is. If you would like to join us on this memorable evening, please return your RSVP card no later than Monday, November 7.  

MADA is very pleased to bring back one of our summer convention's featured speakers, Dale Pollak, chairman and founder of vAuto, Inc. vAuto, Inc. specializes in pre-owned inventory for retail dealerships with a focus on appraisal, managing, and financing pre-owned inventory. Prior to founding vAuto, Inc., Dale was the VP of Sales and Business Strategy at Digital Motorworks and has over 25 years dealership experience.

Dale was a great speaker last June and we are very excited to have him back! Save the date for this awesome seminar:

Date: Thursday, December 15, 2011

Time: 9:30-12:00 noon

Location: Turf Valley Resort, Ellicott City, MD

Registration materials will be provided within the next week.

MADA reminds its members that dealerships should act with caution when deciding whether to classify workers as "contractors" as opposed to "employees."

Following several recent unsuccessful attempts by Congress to legislate the issue, the Obama administration is making worker classification an enforcement priority. Misclassifying "employees" as "independent contractors" risks serious liabilities; including unpaid federal, state, and local income tax withholdings; social security and Medicare contributions; wages, including overtime; workers' compensation and unemployment insurance premiums; employee benefits; and penalties.

Late last month, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of Labor (DOL) agreed to a coordinated enforcement effort on employee misclassification. The stated goal of this $30 million plus effort is to ensure better protections for employees and to level the playing field for law-abiding employers.

The IRS also has launched a Voluntary Classification Settlement Program (VCSP) aimed at encouraging employers to step up and confess to past worker misclassifications. In addition, several states are focusing enforcement resources at worker misclassification, in part motivated by the potential for additional tax and premium revenues. Lastly, there recently has been an increase in the number of unemployment insurance and workers compensation claims brought by "independent contractors" arguing that they should have been classified as "employees."

The heightened level of federal and state scrutiny in this workplace area warrants that dealerships carefully review and document how their workers are classified. When making worker classification decisions, dealerships should be careful, and be prepared to document, document, document...

The IRS, the DOL, and the states use multi-factor legal standards and tests to evaluate whether workers are "employees" or "independent contractors." Of greatest importance: the level of control employers exercise over workers as measured by the means and manner of the work performed. Both the DOL and the IRS have helpful fact sheets on their websites addressing this issue.

MADA is still accepting registrations for our two fall Title & Registration seminars.

Seminar #1:

• November 15, 2011. 9:30-11:30 a.m. Hilton Garden Inn, White Marsh 

Seminar #2:

• November 17, 2011. 9:30-11:30 a.m. The Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort, Cambridge

The costs to attend either seminar are:

• $85.00 per person/MADA Member
• $125.00 per person/non-member

Please return the attached registration form to MADA to reserve your spot today! Please contact Ethel Biensach, ebiensach@mdauto.org or 800.526.7423 for further information.

Due to a recent extension in the law, the new due date for compliance with the National Labor Relations Board [NLRB] poster mandate is January 31, 2012. According to the August 25, 2011 issuance, any employer covered by the National Labor Relations Act is required to post the 11x17 inch poster.

The rule requires postings in any place where notices are customarily posted. If you post other personnel policies and notices online via an office Intranet or the Internet, then you must also post an electronic copy of the poster on your Intranet site or provide a direct link under the caption "Employee Rights under the National Labor Relations Act."

Copies of the poster are available now from the NLRB website. 

MADA announces the next live webinar coming to you from DealersEdge... 

How to Achieve & Maintain 100+% Service Absorption

Date/Time: Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 1:00 p.m .

Cost: $149.00

Presenter: Steve Nickelsen of Nickelsen Partners

A strategic plan drawn from case studies of peer dealerships that regularly exceed 100% Service Absorption in their dealership or group.

You will learn:

• Why 100+% Service Absorption is a worthy goal & why operating the business without undue pressure to sell additional units to remain profitable has many hidden benefits
• How to build your strategy by including the entire organization in the planning and implementation - It has to be an organizational goal, not just a Fixed Ops objective
• The role ROI plays in a successful 100+% Service Absorption strategy

 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY! 

The date and location for MADA's Summer Convention have been set! Please mark your calendars for June 17-20, 2012; we will meet in Cambridge, MD at the lovely Cambridge Hyatt Regency Resort.